‘The private car was once a symbol of freedom but today it is the cause of a crisis within cities’, says Chris Snyder, ViaVan CEO. Here he tells Globetrender why his start-up ridesharing company is the future of transport in the modern era
What is ViaVan and how is it innovative?
ViaVan is the joint venture between Via, the global leader in on-demand public mobility, and Mercedes-Benz Vans in Europe.
Our mission is to work with cities to introduce smart, shared, on-demand public transport solutions that help reduce congestion and emissions by creating viable alternatives to private car trips. In addition to operating consumer services in London, Amsterdam and Milton Keynes, we are already working with a number of major transport players across Europe, including BVG in Berlin and TfL in London.
ViaVan’s advanced algorithms were optimised for highly efficient, affordable, convenient shared rides, unconstrained by fixed routes and schedules. We are able to route multiple riders headed in a similar direction into one shared vehicle through the use of “virtual bus stops” that direct passengers and the vehicle to a nearby corner for pick-up and drop-off.
This type of real-time dynamic routing to a common point enables us to provide not only an efficient and convenient experience, but one without unnecessary detours, reducing empty vehicle miles on the road and our overall carbon footprint.
What inspired you to launch ViaVan?
The founders of our technology partner, Via, were inspired by Israel’s sherut taxis, a type of shared minibus service that runs without a schedule, enabling passengers to flag down the vehicle and hop on and off where needed.
It was clear that if this concept of shared mobility could be transformed into a service powered by tech and data, it would have the opportunity to change the way we get around our cities and encourage people to leave private mobility behind.
Describe the business model?
Sharing is at the core of ViaVan’s business, and everything we do from building our technology to selecting the markets in which we operate stems from this. We built our technology from the ground up to optimise for efficient shared rides, rather than start with a private ride solution like many other companies within our industry.
Our business comprises three complementary go-to-market strategies. First, in some cities, we operate our own consumer markets. Second, we also provide a licensed technology solution to cities and public transport agencies who wish to operate their own on-demand transit solution powered by Via’s technology.
And third, we also provide a fully turnkey solution to cities and public transit agencies – like TfL and BVG – who prefer that ViaVan provide not only the technology but also the operations, marketing, and data science expertise required to run a successful on-demand service.
When did ViaVan launch and where is the service available?
ViaVan first launched in Europe in 2018 with the introduction of the service in Amsterdam. Quickly following, we added London, Milton Keynes and Berlin (in partnership with BVG).
Beyond our Berlin deployment, we’ve worked with many other public transport operators and partners across Europe, including TfL in London, BASF in Ludwigshafen, GoAhead in Oxford and Arriva in Sittingbourne, Liverpool and Leicester to launch on demand transit services that address a number of use cases – for instance, corporate campus transport, first- and last-mile connectivity, and extending existing public transport networks.
Beyond our footprint in Europe, we have deep global expertise in smart mobility solutions with Via’s six years of experience and what together is more than 70 deployments across 15 countries.
What are your plans for expansion?
We will continue to expand in Europe and are currently in conversation with a number of cities to provide technology-based public mobility solutions.
How does Via Van differ from Uber Pool?
There are two main factors that differentiate our services from our competitors: our technology and our vision.
Our platform was built specifically for on-demand mass transit. With over 200 developers constantly optimising our algorithms and over 6 years of operating experience in a diversity of environments – from the world’s biggest cities like London and New York, to rural areas in Texas and the UK – we have unparalleled technical and operational expertise, which allows us to develop innovative solutions for our partners.
Our vision is to evolve public transit on a global scale by working directly with cities, public transit operators and companies to leverage world-class technology in a way that is precisely tailored to local use cases.
We realise mobility is not one-size-fits-all, and we are able to translate our experience in shared ride technology into any number of services from first-and-last mile transit as we’ve done in Los Angeles, to routing and booking double-decker buses in Singapore, to a large scale deployment of EVs in Berlin with BVG. Our recent deployment of a demand-responsive bus pilot with the TfL in Sutton is another example of this.
ViaVan’s technology has powered more than 50 million rides across the globe, and is responsible for more than 70 deployments of its own and with cities and public transit operators.
How does it compare to public buses?
ViaVan is a dynamic form of on-demand shared transport that frees riders from the inconvenient fixed routes and regimented schedules of the traditional bus, two of the main reasons why many people prefer their own car as opposed to public transit.
By rethinking what public transit could be – by leveraging technology to introduce smarter, more efficient on-demand and shared mobility options – we are to finally encourage riders to shift away from private vehicle use by ensuring they have that same feeling of comfort, convenience and flexibility.
How much does it cost?
Our algorithms were built to ensure affordable transport through efficient routing and sharing, so while our fares may change depending on the market and journey length, we are able to keep our them consistently low – usually just a few euros more than the bus – while retaining a high quality of service.
Who is a typical user?
ViaVan’s typical user can be one of many people. For example, in London, we tend to see both professionals commuting to and from work, as well as a high volume of night and weekend passengers heading out with friends.
The goal was to create a transportation system that filled in the gaps in the existing public transport network and that could be incorporated into anyone’s lifestyle.
Who can be a driver and what standards are in place to safeguard passengers?
Our driver requirements are determined by the relevant local regulations. For instance, all ViaVan drivers in London must first be licensed by TfL and pass a series of rigorous background checks implemented by TfL.
All drivers must then attend an in-depth, in-person training on all facets of the business and industry, from laws, pay and safety issues to management. We take rider and driver safety extremely seriously, and we act swiftly in cases when either drivers or riders do not adhere to our community policies and safety measures.
How does the way we get around cities need to change in the future? In what ways is ViaVan offering a new disruptive solution?
The private car was once a symbol of freedom but today it is the cause of a crisis within cities, the symptoms of which are massive congestion and unhealthy greenhouse gas emissions. To step into a greener, freer future, we have to convert people to sharing the ride on a massive scale. That means providing people with a shared option that is attractive enough to encourage them to ditch their own cars and private rides.
ViaVan’s technology offers riders the convenience of a personal vehicle with the affordability and sustainability benefits of a public bus. And because we work directly with cities to combine on-demand solutions with existing transport infrastructure, our project is not so much “disruption” as it is re-engineering our existing public transport systems.
The private car was once a symbol of freedom, but today it is the cause of a crisis within cities, the symptoms of which are massive congestion and unhealthy greenhouse gas emissions.
To step into a greener, freer future, we have to convert people to sharing rides on a massive scale. That means providing people with a shared option that is attractive enough to encourage them to ditch their own cars and private rides.
ViaVan’s technology offers riders the convenience of a personal vehicle with the affordability and sustainability benefits of a public bus. And because we work directly with cities to combine on-demand solutions with existing transport infrastructure, our project is not so much “disruption” as it is re-engineering our existing public transport systems.